R.I. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 86 — Effective Date. | Rhode Island Rules of Civil Procedure

Rule 86.Effective Date.

Current through February 2024 · Last verified July 8, 2026

In one sentenceRule 86 sets November 5, 2014 as the date the amended Rules of Civil Procedure took effect, and provides that they govern new actions and further proceedings in pending actions unless applying them to a particular pending action would be infeasible or unjust.

Full Text of Rule 86

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These amended rules shall take effect on November 5, 2014. They govern all proceedings in actions brought after they take effect and also all further proceedings in actions then pending except to the extent that in the opinion of the court their application in a particular action pending, when the rules take effect would not be feasible or would work injustice, in which event the former procedure applies.

APPENDIX OF FORMS 1. The following forms located on the Judiciary's website at www.courts.ri.gov under the heading of Public Resources, Forms and are sufficient under the rules. They are limited in number. No attempt is made to furnish a manual of forms.

Affidavit and Request for Entry of Default Application for Citation in Supplementary Proceedings Arbitration — Arbitrator's Award Arbitration — Court Annexed Arbitration Certificate Arbitration — Rejection of Arbitrator's Award for Cases Certified to Arbitration After January 1, 2014 Arbitration — Rejection of Arbitrator's Award for Cases Certified to Arbitration Before January 1, 2014 Arbitration — Report of Arbitrator Arbitration — Selection of Arbitrator Business Calendar Case Opening Sheet Coversheet for Application for Court Approval of Transfer of Structured Settlement Proceeds Entry of Appearance — Civil Judgment by Default Upon Application to Clerk Language Assistance Notice — Cambodian Language Assistance Notice— English Language Assistance Notice — Portuguese Language Assistance Notice — Spanish Mechanics' Lien for Advertising Mechanics' Lien Citation Mediation Submission Form Motion, Affidavit, and Order to Proceed in Forma Pauperis Motion to Protect Non-public Information in a Case Filed Prior to Electronic Filing Notice and Motion to Attach Wages and Defendant/Debtor's Objection to Wage Attachment Notice of Appeal Notice of Attachment (Not for Wages) and Defendant/Debtor's Objection to Notice of Attachment (Not for Wages) Notice to Employer (Trustee-Garnishee) Omnibus Calendar Assignment Form Petition for Waiver of the Mandatory Electronic Filing Requirements Pro Hac Vice — Attorney Certification for Admission Pro Hac Vice Pro Hac Vice — Client Certification Pro Hac Vice — Miscellaneous Petition for Admission Pro Hac Vice Request for Transcript Stipulation Subpoena — Civil Writ of Attachment Writ of Replevin 2. Except where otherwise indicated, each pleading, motion, and other paper should have a caption similar to that of the forms listed above. In the caption of the complaint all parties must be named but in other pleadings and papers, it is sufficient to state the name of the first party on either side, with an appropriate indication of other parties. See Rules 4(b), 7(b)(2), and 10(a). 3. Each pleading, motion, and other paper is to be signed in the individual name by at least one (1) attorney of record (Rule 11). The attorney's name is to be followed by his or her address, email address, bar number, and telephone number. 4. If a self-represented litigant, the signature, address, email address (if electing to utilize the EFS), and telephone number of the self-represented litigant are required in place of those of the attorney.

Amendment History

Rhode Island does not publish a per-rule amendment history inside the compiled rules text reproduced here. The text above is verified current through the source’s own February 2024 printing; for the underlying adopting orders and any later amendments, see the Rhode Island Judiciary’s compiled rules page.

Plain-English Summary

Rule 86 fixes the effective date of the amended Rules of Civil Procedure: November 5, 2014. From that date forward, the amended rules govern every action brought in Superior Court.

The rule also addresses cases already pending on that date. The amended rules apply to further proceedings in those pending actions too — unless the court decides that applying them to a particular pending action would not be feasible or would work an injustice. In that situation, the former procedure applies instead to that action.

This is a common way courts phase in rule changes: the new rules take over broadly, but a case already underway is not forced into a new procedural framework if doing so would be impractical or unfair to the parties.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the current Rhode Island Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure take effect?

Rule 86 sets the effective date as November 5, 2014. The amended rules govern actions brought after that date.

Do the amended rules apply to a case that was already pending in 2014?

Yes, generally. Rule 86 says the amended rules govern further proceedings in actions that were then pending, unless the court finds that applying them to a particular pending action would not be feasible or would work an injustice.

What happens if applying the amended rules to a pending case would be unfair?

Rule 86 allows the former procedure to apply to that specific action if, in the court's opinion, applying the amended rules would not be feasible or would work an injustice.

Source & verification. The rule text is reproduced verbatim from the official Rhode Island Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure (R.I. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 86). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Rhode Island (R.I. Gen. Laws § 8-6-2). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 8, 2026. · Official source

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